Social Exclusion in Cross-national Perspective ― Actors, Actions, and Impacts from Above and Below

Global processes have an increasing influence on local contexts and the nature and distribution of opportunities among populations across the globe. While capital and population mobility, advances in information and communications technology, and economic liberalization have fostered economic development, industrialization, and wealth for some, they have also engendered growing inequalities in income, prosperity, well-being, and access. Those left behind by these global transformations often experience not only material deprivation, but broader dislocation from the contexts, institutions, and capabilities that provide access to social and economic opportunity. The concept of "social exclusion" has been widely adopted to describe the conditions of economic, social, political, and/or cultural marginalization experienced by particular groups of people due to extreme poverty, discrimination, dislocation, and disenfranchisement.

This book explores the dynamics of social exclusion within the context of globalization across four countries--China, India, South Korea, and the United States. In particular, it examines how social exclusion is defined, manifested, and responded to with regard to diverse social arenas and processes, varying mechanisms and scales, and a range of impacted populations. Based on collaborative research activities and in-depth deliberation among leading scholars from major academic institutions in each of the four aforementioned countries, the volume provides a rich account of the interplay between globalization and social exclusion, while highlighting the ways in which responses may be more or less effective in different contexts. Its insights will be of particular interest to academics, researchers, and students across diverse social science disciplines.

Robert J. Chaskin is the McCormick Foundation Professor and Deputy Dean for Strategic Initiatives at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, where he holds the UNESCO Chair for Inclusive Urbanism. His work focuses on the conceptual foundations and principal strategies behind social policy and community intervention in the context of urban poverty.

Bong Joo Lee, PhD, MSW, is Professor of Social Welfare, Seoul National University. His research focuses on child welfare, child poverty, early intervention, and social service reform issues. He is Editor-in-Chief of Child Indicators Research.

Surinder Jaswal, PhD, MA (SW), is Deputy Director (Research) and Dean, School of Research Methodology; and Professor, Centre for Health and Mental Health, School of Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences. She is also the Associate Editor of the Indian Journal of Social Work. She has initiated and led several research and field action projects on urban health, disasters, and public mental health.